Roach still blaming Pacquiao’s poor performance against Marquez last November on marital problems

By Rob Smith: Trainer Freddie Roach still isn’t giving Juan Manuel Marquez full credit for coming up with a perfect fight in giving then WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao fits in their fight last November in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pacquiao ended up winning the fight by a controversial 12 round majority decision, but many boxing fans to this day still believe that Marquez should have been given the win. Pacquiao and Marquez are now going to be facing each other again when they meet on December 8th in Las Vegas in what will be their fourth fight.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, however, still feels that Marquez’s domination of Pacquiao was partially the result of Pacquiao having some marital problems at the time of the fight.

Roach said to the LA Times “I give that some credit for bothering Manny. When someone asks you for a divorce the day before you fight, that can’t be easy to deal with. Mentally, he just wants there for that fight.”

So Pacquiao fought poorly because of marital problems? Okay, then what was the excuse for Pacquiao’s equally poor performance in 2008 when Pacquiao beat Marquez by another controversial 12 round decision? Roach doesn’t say, but you have wonder what happened there, because Pacquiao sure did look he should have lost that fight. Additionally, Pacquiao fought well enough to lose in the first first fight Marquez in 2004.

Pacquiao got off to a fast start in knocking Marquez down three times in the 1st round, but Pacquiao was then completely out-boxed in rounds two through twelve. This time Pacquiao was given a 12 round draw in a fight that a lot boxing fans felt he should have lost.